Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

Comments

@m6user said:
If I were your insurance company I would have the tire shop shave a tire to match up with your present tires and tell you you're good to go. IMO asking for 4 new tires where only one is damaged when the car has only 4200 miles is a reach. Why would you have to double your maint. frequency if the tires are within the 2mm spec. anyway?

They are saying I should pay a 20% betterment charge for getting two new tires replacing two tires that had 80% life left.

My argument is simply that since I want to change all 4 tires at the same time on the same rotation, the extra 2/32nd's on the front tires will provide me no betterment. I'm not going to delay changing the 2 newer tires when the older 2 are due for replacement just so I can eek out a "betterment." I will gain no benefit. If your always changing out your tires 2 at a time you are changing them out twice as frequently (in terms of shop visits and down time) than if you just change out all 4 at once.

I can assume and project all 4 tires will wear evenly since the car is AWD and all 4 tires measured at the same 20% wear.

Bigger problems than tires..... Got the car back yesterday afternoon. In a quick 15 minutes close eyeball inspection, I was able to find at least 10 things wrong with the car.

A small scuff/scratch on the black plastic windshield cowl, multiple black marks/paint blemishes on bumper edges/corners, a small minor white scratch that if not on the prior existing damage sheet, must of been caused during the shop's 38 day ownership of the car, a tiny chip on the roof, some rough slightly bumpy paint around edges such as around the fuel filling cap area, the underside of the hood has a paint blemish, and a general impression that orange peel is more prevalent or noticeable, but not bad, just not great.

I was expecting all that above and I'm sure most of that can be fixed in a 2nd trip to the body shop under warranty. However, I wasn't expecting the following:

Misaligned right doors (or at least the trim isn't lining up right) Haven't measured but I'd say around 3/16" if I had to guess).

Lower Rocker panel fit and finish issues (increased gap, noticeable double sided sticky tape seeping through the wide uneven gap, paint blemishes at joint) They admitted that even with a brand new rocker panel, 9 new rivets, Audi's instructions, and new double-sided sticky tape, they've never been able to match what they do in Germany. They suggest it must be installed differently in the factory. Looks aftermarket now.

The exhaust was removed and reinstalled, and now both sets of exhaust tips appear to be hanging too low in relation to the back bumper diffuser, with the right two exhaust tips noticeably about 1/2"-3/4" lower than the left pair of exhaust tips.

Number 3 bothers me the most. They say if what you can see is bad and lacks QC, then perhaps what you can't see is even worse. Oh yeah, and there's still about a 4" piece of masking tape on the lower edge of the front right door (detailer should be fired).

On the other hand, the mechanical work seems solid; that's the bright side. The car drives and runs well (of course the dealership did a large portion of that work). I'd say the only thing I can tell that might be a tad ever so slightly off is the steering wheel might just be like 1 degree off-center; very close. When I eyeball leveling the steering wheel, the car will move slightly right, then again, maybe my eyeballs are off by a degree or two.

@andres3 said:
Bigger problems than tires..... Got the car back yesterday afternoon. In a quick 15 minutes close eyeball inspection, I was able to find at least 10 things wrong with the car.

A small scuff/scratch on the black plastic windshield cowl, multiple black marks/paint blemishes on bumper edges/corners, a small minor white scratch that if not on the prior existing damage sheet, must of been caused during the shop's 38 day ownership of the car, a tiny chip on the roof, some rough slightly bumpy paint around edges such as around the fuel filling cap area, the underside of the hood has a paint blemish, and a general impression that orange peel is more prevalent or noticeable, but not bad, just not great.

I was expecting all that above and I'm sure most of that can be fixed in a 2nd trip to the body shop under warranty. However, I wasn't expecting the following:

Misaligned right doors (or at least the trim isn't lining up right) Haven't measured but I'd say around 3/16" if I had to guess).

Lower Rocker panel fit and finish issues (increased gap, noticeable double sided sticky tape seeping through the wide uneven gap, paint blemishes at joint) They admitted that even with a brand new rocker panel, 9 new rivets, Audi's instructions, and new double-sided sticky tape, they've never been able to match what they do in Germany. They suggest it must be installed differently in the factory. Looks aftermarket now.

The exhaust was removed and reinstalled, and now both sets of exhaust tips appear to be hanging too low in relation to the back bumper diffuser, with the right two exhaust tips noticeably about 1/2"-3/4" lower than the left pair of exhaust tips.

Number 3 bothers me the most. They say if what you can see is bad and lacks QC, then perhaps what you can't see is even worse. Oh yeah, and there's still about a 4" piece of masking tape on the lower edge of the front right door (detailer should be fired).

On the other hand, the mechanical work seems solid; that's the bright side. The car drives and runs well (of course the dealership did a large portion of that work). I'd say the only thing I can tell that might be a tad ever so slightly off is the steering wheel might just be like 1 degree off-center; very close. When I eyeball leveling the steering wheel, the car will move slightly right, then again, maybe my eyeballs are off by a degree or two.

Andres....Just my personal opinion, but I think it's time to go to the insurance company and tell them you need a new car....for all the reasons listed. If they choose to fight (like with the tires, which to me is being rather nit-picky given all 4 tires should have the same tread depth), then you can tell them to give you a new car now, or risk having a car with a salvage title instead after you begin your proceedings.

@graphicguy said:
Andres....Just my personal opinion, but I think it's time to go to the insurance company and tell them you need a new car....for all the reasons listed. If they choose to fight (like with the tires, which to me is being rather nit-picky given all 4 tires should have the same tread depth), then you can tell them to give you a new car now, or risk having a car with a salvage title instead after you begin your proceedings.

I second it and basically stated that in my posting. When a car has a repair tag of 20K which included frame (sub frame) work you are asking for issues. Since the car is basically new, it would never be the same. Now I don't remember, who was at fault in the accident?

@flightnurse said:
I second it and basically stated that in my posting. When a car has a repair tag of 20K which included frame (sub frame) work you are asking for issues. Since the car is basically new, it would never be the same. Now I don't remember, who was at fault in the accident?

The other driver was at fault of course. I don't cause accidents, and I'm usually able to avoid them. You have to be a really horrible terrible driver to cause a collision with me.

When I told the adjuster and sent him 5 pictures of the first 5 things I noticed that were wrong (mostly paint scuffs/scratches/chips), he said Geico had paid the body shop, the body shop was my choice, and I'd have to deal with them on paint issues. Basically saying, you are on your own since you didn't choose one of our preferred shops, and our only obligation is to pay for repairs.

@graphicguy said:
Andres....Just my personal opinion, but I think it's time to go to the insurance company and tell them you need a new car....for all the reasons listed. If they choose to fight (like with the tires, which to me is being rather nit-picky given all 4 tires should have the same tread depth), then you can tell them to give you a new car now, or risk having a car with a salvage title instead after you begin your proceedings.

I'm liking the idea of having a new car as that's the only way I'll get back to having a German built and assembled S4 which clearly is far superior to one built and assembled in Escondido, CA.

The insurance company seems to think they are off the hook and I need to sue my chosen body shop. I did point out the windshield cowl was on them since it was never on the estimate, and they said they would pay for stuff if it was missed in the original estimates or supplements. How do I get them to see it as potentially their problem again?

How would I go about getting a salvage title if they don't cooperate? I am missing a few links in the chain there. I suppose my argument is that Geico and Mercury's adjuster's erred incompetently in saying this vehicle was repairable for 15.5K in 28 days. 38 days of rental for nearly $1,400, and $20.3K in repairs later, and we are where we are now. I do think I'll contact Audi and let them know this shop should certainly be DE-Certified.

What you are going through absolutely sucks dude. You are being picky and have every right to demand nothing less than perfection from the body shop and insurance company that is fixing a "dream car" for you with only 4200 miles which before it got hit was still "brand new."

Did you say they cut you a check for diminished value? It just seems at this point that you aren't going to ever be 100% happy with the car. Have them fix whatever else they can, then take the car to CARMAX, take it to a couple of Audi dealers, sell it or trade it in. Even with a "dirty carfax," it is still a low mileage S4.

@graphicguy said:
Andres...not surprising that the insurance co is being obstinate. I've made a mental note.....never buy Geico insurance.

They are on the hook to make the car right, regardless of where it was repaired. You didn't sign any release papers did you?

Graphic I don't think he could have taken the car without signing paperwork.... BTW, we have Geico and could not be happier with them, Rick had a fender bender in the Genesis, Geico really took care of him and made sure he was happy with the repairs. We are switching over to USAA not because of the serivce, but rates for the cars and homeowner is less, plus we will get a $1250 discount on our X3 through USAA.

andres--andres--just click on the "bent over page" icon at the top of the comments box (on the right). Either insert a URL from the web or choose a file from your computer. You may have to size your photo prior to posting, depending.

@flightnurse said:
Graphic I don't think he could have taken the car without signing paperwork.... BTW, we have Geico and could not be happier with them, Rick had a fender bender in the Genesis, Geico really took care of him and made sure he was happy with the repairs. We are switching over to USAA not because of the serivce, but rates for the cars and homeowner is less, plus we will get a $1250 discount on our X3 through USAA.

On second thought, the car might not be as bad as I first thought. My list can be contained under 20. The door misalignment might only be 1/8". The rocker panel isn't that bad, its decent work, just not Ingolstad standards. After further review, I wasn't noticing anything else I hadn't already noticed in the first 24 hours (although there was one missed/rough/abrupt shift; not repeatable or duplicatable). If they can get my list right, I think I might just be happy with the car (besides, it'll take 3 to 4 months to get one just like it; as I'd have to re-order it from Germany again). This successful outcome of course depends upon Mercury paying me decent DV, and Caliber Collision/European Autobody paying for a premium rental while they do the RE-work on my list.

The car drives and rides well, so mechanically it feels strong; then again I was flopping around in a meager 4 cylinder Altima for a while and that seemed to pale in comparison to a new Accord, let alone an S4. Forgot how sturdy and tight fitting the seats were too compared to the rental fodder; reminds me to lose weight, or at least not gain any more weight.

The main thing that upset me was the low hanging exhaust that isn't symmetrically low hanging. This is a bad rolling on the road advertisement for Audi, hence why I thought the shop should be uncertified.

Sad to say, most people-even those who own premium/luxury/sport cars-aren't all that particular about the quality of bodywork or paint. One of my co-workers was involved in an accident and she asked me to check her car over when it was returned. It was a mess; orange peel, overspray, misaligned trim, and obvious tape lines- but she thought it looked just fine, even after I pointed out the atrocious work.

That said, I just delivered my Club Sport to my local "BMW Certified Collision Repair Center" to have a couple of dings repaired. Fortunately I know which tech is the most conscientious and meticulous, and I was able to specify that I only wanted him to touch the car. I'll report back when the car is returned...

I've seen the best of work and the worst of work done on expensive cars. I recently inspected a 2012 Porsche that had some rather severe damage, and I have to say the bodyshop did an outstanding job on this car. A few weeks later I saw a Lexus SUV and the work was borderline criminal. I could have stuck my finger through the hatch seam.

My experience with insurance companies is that they will allow the "victim" enough latitude to take the car to a body shop that the victim believes will satisfy their needs to return the car to the status of "like it never even happened."

Here in Cincinnati, there is ONE body shop that has gone through the Audi A8 (aluminum) certification and actually sent their techs to Germany for training and then to Chicago for follow up training.

I would use this body shop for any car.

Oddly, my Audi dealer does NOT have a body shop, but the dealer is part of a billion dollar dealer group that has a body shop at each of their Cadillac and Acura dealerships.

If I go to the dealer with a body shop need, they used to take the car to the Audi A8 certified shop -- now, unfortunately, they trot it on over to the Cadillac dealership which does a good job.

Good really is the enemy of great.

I had a minor hiccup (a scratch really) and ended up "demanding" the car go to the certified body shop. The dealer complied but not before they offered up the Cadillac (or the Acura) body shop.

I had a trim piece lose its luster on my 2009 A4, and Audi agreed to send me all new chrome trim -- since it was under warranty, I let the Cadillac body shop do the job (and they replaced the trim without incident.) There was no body work or painting involved, however.

If you have any Audi product, I urge you to at least investigate ONLY taking the car to an A8 certified body shop -- they seem to have been indoctrinated with the "doing it the right way" and good is not good enough philosophy.

Only great is great, despite the extra cost (which is NOT paid out of your pocket, typically.)

I assume such a body shop would also be "superior" for any brand since the degree of care required for an aluminum body certified shop certainly seems to be a step or two above and beyond.

UPDATE: Today there was a puddle under my S4 a few hours after arriving at work. Looked under the hood and there was some puddling of liquid at the bottom of the pans. Coolant was well below minimum. Called body shop to tow the car back to them and give me a rental. 38 days at the shop, and I needed a tow truck only 6 days later.

Germans nearly 4.5 months, 4,100 miles, and no tow trucks.

Americans assemble and build it and it gets 6 days before a tow truck is needed!

Geico says my problem is that I'm nowhere close to getting a total because the "repairs" are cheap in comparison to the car's value. That they have to be consistent, fair, and adhere to standards.

I think I"ll have to fight with them on the definition of "repairs/repaired."

This is from one of the most reputable well regarded "Audi Certified" body shops in all of San Diego County.

Yes, I think I was right about the Insurance and body shop industry being a racket. One spoon feeds the other in a vicious cycle of lies. This incident coupled with my list of 20 "issues" has me fed up. The only thing keeping me sane is the body shop is on the hook for the rental I"m in now, and they were receptive to my issue.

Of course, I realize insurance would be expensive if Every Audi with significant damage had to be totaled the way it should be. Either that, or ship it back to Germany to be fixed correctly.

@Andreas‌ - poor car- sorry to see that and as mentioned the damage doesn't look crazy bad amazing the cost of plastic and glass. Someone damaged my rig last Sunday- I was so upset I had a paintless dent guy take out the damage 2 hours later.